By way of general background, it is customary in the art of building construction, whether commercial or residential, to install new flooring in bathrooms and the like, such flooring most often involving tile of various kinds. The installer must cut the tile or other flooring around not only all walls and other obstructions but also around any plumbing fixtures on the floor and even adjacent walls depending the design and intended installation of the tile or other material.
One specific challenge that arises in such contexts is cutting an opening in the tile or tiles about the toilet flange or closet flange, or the pipe formed in and extending slightly upwardly from the floor over which a toilet is typically installed, so as to provide clearance for such flange while substantially covering the floor thereabout, and particularly enough of the floor such that the later-installed toilet will sit substantially level or flush with the floor while leaving none of the subfloor exposed beyond the perimeter of the toilet base. As such, it is desirable to be able to cut a substantially circular, arcuate or other such opening in the one or more tiles that will surround the toilet flange before they are secured to the floor, such that the resulting opening in the tile(s) when laid approximates the toilet flange perimeter. What has been needed and has heretofore been unavailable is a means for marking flooring around a toilet flange to increase accuracy and efficiency.
One prior development described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,697, entitled “Protective flange cover and method of use”, includes a protective cover or cap for connection to a toilet mounting flange installed on a drain or discharge pipe. The cover protects the stems of bolts for connecting the flange to the toilet by means of at least two tubular extensions on the cover which surround the bolts and by means of nuts over washers on the bolt stems when the cover is installed on the flange. The cover makes it easier to align the flange visually with the surrounding walls but fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
Another prior development described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,422, entitled “Closet flange protector”, includes a closet flange protector to protect and overlie a water closet flange and test plugs during a construction proceeding. The protector includes an inverted cup-shaped member including an upper disk portion provided with spaced diametrically opposed wells. A downwardly depending skirt depends downwardly from the disk and associated wells terminating in a continuous conical skirt. The conical skirt and wells include aligned through extending apertures for receiving diametrically opposed threaded bolts. The bolts include threaded fasteners received within the wells to secure the well to a floor structure and overlie an associated water closet flange but the flange protector again fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
Another prior development described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,134, entitled “Cover, spacer and plumbing installation assembly”, includes a plumbing installation assembly including a closet flange and a cooperating spacer and cover. The spacer holds the closet flange above the floor a selected height to allow the pouring of lightweight concrete. The cover fully covers the face and slotted mounting apertures in the closet flange upon which the toilet is mounted but again fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange
Another prior development described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,362, entitled “Water closet fitting installation assembly”, includes a water closet fitting installation assembly for installation and optional testing of a water closet fitting within a poured, permanently set floor. The assembly comprises a water closet fitting; a flange adapted for rotatable engagement of an outer circumference of the fitting, whereby a water closet stool may be attached to the fitting in a desired rotational orientation relative to the fitting by means of mechanical fasteners passing through holes in the flange; a collar adapted to prevent contact between the flange, the fitting, and mechanical fasteners used to mount the stool and the material in which the fitting is installed; and a temporary or removable cover plate adapted to cover the fitting and to prevent unset flooring material from entering the water closet fitting or the drain system on installation, so that the fitting and said the system are kept free from the material, and from potential blockage thereby. Embodiments of the fitting assembly further comprise a test baffle adapted to permit the water closet drain system to be tested for fluid tight integrity after the water closet fitting has been installed, without fouling the drain system with the test baffle or pieces thereof after the test has been completed and again fail to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
Another prior development described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,799,606, entitled “Drainage pipe covering kit for use during building or floor construction”, includes an accessory for use in construction including a conduit that has an inlet end portion and an outlet end portion. The outlet end portion is mountable on a drainage pipe so that the conduit and the drainage pipe are in fluid communication with each other. A removable closure member is mounted on the inlet end portion to close the conduit when not in use or during building construction, so that ingress of material or detritus into the drainage pipe is inhibited but again fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
Another prior development described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0131715, entitled “Water Closet Flange Seal”, includes a method of installing a closet flange that allows installation of plumbing fixtures involving telescopically fitting an inner or outer surface of a drainpipe to a surface of a cylindrical portion of a hub of a closet flange, where the hub has a base flange extending therefrom; and securing the base flange against the upper surface of a subfloor. A first layer of sealant is applied to an upper surface of the base flange; and a flooring membrane is secured to the upper surface of the base flange by the first layer of sealant. A second layer of sealant is applied to an upper surface of the flooring membrane; and the upper surface of the flooring membrane is clamped between the base flange and a clamping ring. The method may be performed using a two-part closet flange for connection to a drain pipe for a toilet. The two-part closet flange comprises a cylindrical hub adapted to telescopically connect to the drain pipe; an annular flange radially extending from the cylindrical hub; a clamping ring; and a means to clamp a flooring membrane between the clamping ring and the annular flange but again fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
Another prior development described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,099,801, entitled “Closet flange system for existing installation”, includes a system which includes a closet flange insert and at least one spacer to be positioned between the closet flange insert and an installed closet flange. The closet flange insert includes a toilet connecting flange which extends radially outwardly from a through pipe. The through pipe is sized to be inserted into a pipe section of a closet flange. Each spacer includes spaced apart first and second faces, and spaced apart inner and outer edges extending between the first and second faces. The inner edge defines an opening extending through the body, the opening sized to permit passage therethrough of the through pipe of the closet flange insert but not the toilet connecting flange of the closet flange insert.
Another prior development described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0240319, entitled “Toilet Flange Assembly With Cover”, includes a toilet flange provided with a planar perimeter portion to assist the installer in accurately determining the distance to an adjacent wall as well as insuring the toilet fastening bolts are aligned parallel thereto. The toilet flange assembly includes a cover to store needed fastening elements while simultaneously preventing debris from entering the plumbing riser pipe. Additionally, a sleeve is provided that protects the threads of the toilet fastening bolts during construction and acts as an extendable flexible guide sleeve. The guide sleeve functionally extends the height of the toilet fastening bolt thereby assisting the toilet installer as a visual aid during installation but again fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
Another prior development described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0167292, entitled “Template for Closet Flange”, includes templates, methods, and kits for installing closet flanges. The template can include a body having a sidewall and a bottom as well as a plurality of tabs connected to the body, with one or more of the tabs configured to delineate the location of a fastener hole in a closet flange but again fails to provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.
The prior developments above teaches a protective flange cover and method of use, a closet flange protector, a cover, spacer and plumbing installation assembly, a water closet fitting installation assembly, a drainage pipe covering kit for use during building or floor construction, a water closet flange seal, a closet flange system for existing installation, a toilet flange assembly with cover, and a template for closet flange, but fail wholly or inn part to enable relatively convenient and accurate marking of a hole cut-out location on the tile substantially corresponding to and providing clearance about the toilet flange.
Solutions have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any complete solutions, and solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art. Thus there remains a considerable need for devices and methods that can provide an adequate way to mark the floor around the toilet flange.